Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Flamenco Puro, August 29, 2005
I lived in a small village in Andalucia for many years. I am very grateful that I can appreciate this film for what it is, a visual love poem to the place, people and passions of the region as Gatlif's previous film Latcho Drom was to all of Roma culture. Gatlif pays meticulous attention to every detail of how flamenco music and its people infuse and help define everyday Spanish life to this day. It begins with a remarkable homage to flamenco's Muslim heritage featuring a living flamenco legend, Tomatito. Although much is lost in the translation of the subtitles, lovers of a simpler, truly family-centered life will treasure poignant, visually satisfying vignettes of modern Spanish village life. An entire family living together and lovingly caring for a disabled family member. Gathering pomegranates together. The enormous paella outside cooking to serve 50 family members at a christening. People greeting one another as they get on the bus (this scene is from the heartbreakingly delightful short on the DVD which takes place in the sun-parched, narrow city streets of Almeria's gypsy neighborhood.). The cemetery rituals. The painted shutters and lace curtains on the windows. The family's widows - harvesting olives, whitewashing graffiti off the village walls, cleaning up after the previous nights' flamenco party. And the spontaneous outbursts of clapping, singing and dancing that occur anywhere - in the street, under a tree, on the bus. These are all scenes still visible every day; they were not staged for a movie.
The melodrama in this film is no different from the polite, socially acceptable melodramas that play out every day in our own society; reputations, families, relationships are destroyed in a very refined, sanitary, occult manner. The Spanish, and the gypsies in particular, have no concern for such posturing and show what is in their heart for all to see, even if it is the darkest pangs of human emotions. From this comes the unequaled, boundless complexity and depth of flamenco.
I have been very fortunate to study flamenco with an Andalucian gypsy who grew up with and learned from Spain's greatest flamenco artists, among them her most beloved dancer, Carmen Amaya. To understand this film, flamenco, and Spain, one must abandon all attempts to understand it and allow the duende - the spirit of flamenco - possess one's senses and one's soul. Flamenco is not contrived enough to worry itself about a theme, a story line or impressing an audience. It arises from a place deep within the soul that most of us keep carefully guarded and shut off. That Gatlif has exposed it, once again, for us to experience I'm certain is success enough for him.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Attention Flamenco Aficionados, August 29, 2003
This is a powerful , hipnotic, tour de force movie that captures the soul of flamenco. Although it is not a documentary and is a drama it has the feel of a documentary. This is probably because the realism is brought out by Algerian-born director Tony Gatlif's use of "real" flamenco artists as opposed to actors. The lead is taken by Antonio Canales who in real life is a renowned dancer. Ironically he does not dance in the film but plays the role of a leader of a gypsy clan that is at odds with a rival clan of gypsies. The thin plot evolves around avenging the death of a family member of the rival clan. Caco is the name of Canales in the movie and he is a man with a heavy heart after the death of his young daughter and the responsibility of keeping his clan together and protecting his nephew who suffers, although you'd hardly know it, from cerebral palsy. Many of the scenes involving Caco and his nephew are funny as they romp from bar to as Caco looks to find him a "good time" with some beautiful women. The plot is nothing exceptional but the film draws it's superb power from the fantastic musical performances. Set in Andalusia, the stark landscape, the whitewashed churches contrasting with the dressed in black clan is a powerful reminder of the roaming gypsy existence steeped in a long ancestral heritage. The clan moves about in old cars, and a flat bed truck that doubles as a stage as they set up daily for their night of wine, dance and music. The fiery flamenco music is the real reason to see this movie. The performances by such greats as Tomatito, La Caita, Gritos de Guerra and La Paquera is nothing short of spellbinding. The close camera work reveals the duende in the faces of the performers as they collaborate for the best scenes of the movie, and there are many of them as it is full of emotion. An interesting aspect of this movie is how director Gatliff incorporates the history and ethnic mixes of flamenco into the film by using Sheik Ahmad Al Tuni as a vocalist on several songs amidst Turkish flutes blown by Kudsi Erguner, interwoven by masterful guitar work by Emilio Fernandez de Los Santos and Ramon Pisa Borja, who also sings on occcasion. Naturally all of the performances are accentuated by palmas(clapping), gritos( guttural shout outs) and lively percussion. Many of the singing and dancing performances are done by women and the harsh , throaty sounds emanate and penetrate deep from their souls. I keep saying performance but in actuality you feel as though you are not watching a performance but are watching a lively get together of family members; it is truly amazing stuff that will captivate you. The spontaneity of the clan in action is a dervish whirlwind of activity that is the extended family personified. As the clan adds color to the landscape by bringing out their huge pillows and blankets, the tranformation begins to take shape as the music starts to capture the spirit of southern Spain.You are more of a witness to an extraordinary celebration of life in spite of it's sometimes tragic consequences. If you love flamenco than you will love this movie. If you are new to or have limited knowledge of flamenco you will be engrossed and probably seek out some flamenco music afterwards. This is a powerful piece that reveals the soul of flamenco. Highly recommended for flamenco aficionados.
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26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Music 5, story 2: Only for Flamenco lovers, May 2, 2004
You must love Flamenco music first, before you have any chance with this movie. It will not make you like Flamenco, but if you have a passion for it already there are wonderful musical performances here by great artists: The guitar playing, the complicated hand clapping, the singing, and dancers dancing in their regular street clothes as the flamenco erupts for the moment informally, as is the gypsy life style of Southern Spain.
The story is another matter; a vague beginning, poor and unclear plot development about two warring families, the need for revenge (VENGO), with a slight twist at the end. The plot development is so cloudy it takes a while to figure out it is all very standard. But there is an interesting, inspiring treatment of a spastic teenager as one of the crowd, very well done. This movie has highs and lows. The opening scene is wonderful combination of improvised flamenco and Moroccan music. It was 20 minutes later I figured out it was a funeral scene, later I realized it was a funeral scene for the main character's daughter, who I later figured out may have been a Sufi dancer. The movie is not a mystery, it is just lacking in explanation sometimes.
It is as if the director had a few very good ideas, putting them into the movie with much soul and fire, never worrying about the overall continuity, as if the passion was justification enough (perhaps that also is very gypsy). The DVD has practically nothing in the way of extras.
Final Word? If you like Flamenco, see this movie (I rented it from Blockbuster).
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